How is jaundice treated?

Question

My baby brother has a lil yellow color on his face, neck and eyes. How long will it take to dissapear. The nurse today took his blood and said that if it does not dissapear they will put him in some "blue" light. Is it dangerous? Will it have any sideffect that could effect him as he get older?

Answer 1

My daughter was jaundice. It's very common. My daughter was under the blue light, it helps with the billirubin levels. The main thing is hydration. No water though just formula and/or breast milk. It will work out, don't worry he will be fine. You sound like a great sister. Just keep in mind that as long as he's getting some medical attention to monitor the billirubin levels and following the Dr's orders he will be fine.

Answer 2

Jaundice is caused by too much billiruben in the babies body. If it is not treated they can become very ill. (Organ Failure) The billy blanket is a very easy take home contraption. It is a small blanket with a back board in it. It is hooked to a box that is no larger than a medium size purse. It gives off a blue light that helps break up the billiruben. As a up side it can make the baby look light a little glow worm. But you have to make sure that the babies eyes are not exposed. You can usually fix a blanket around that baby so that this is not a problem. It usually only takes a few days to fix. This blanket is used in minor cases. If the case was larger the baby would have to be kept in an incubator with sleeping pads on its eyes. So be thankful a blanket is a possibility.

Answer 3

Jaundice is usually normal for newborns. In fact, there is some evidence that having jaundice as a baby protects her/him in adulthood from serious diseases.

If it gets too high (usually over 20 if the baby was born healthy), doctors tend to panic and treat it even if it *is* normal. Some doctors will insist the mother wean the baby (which is more risky than the jaundice). Often, they use bili lights. Sunlight can do the same thing, however. The bili lights can cause the baby to become dehydrated, and interferes with development because baby's eyes are usually covered.

Answer 4

I hope this is useful for you.

What causes jaundice?
High levels of a pigment in the blood called bilirubin cause the skin to look yellow. When old red blood cells break down, one of the byproducts they create is bilirubin. Everyone's blood contains bilirubin, which is normally removed from the blood by the liver and then eliminated in the stool. Before your baby was born, your liver removed his bilirubin for him. Now it's just taking some time for his liver to take over the task — so the pigment builds up in his blood and his skin takes on the yellowish cast of jaundice.

This type of jaundice, called physiologic jaundice, usually appears on a baby's second or third day of life and disappears on its own within two weeks. (For premature babies, it peaks at five to seven days and may take up to two months to go away.) The yellow color tends to appear first in a baby's face, then move downward to his neck and chest and on down until, in extreme cases, it reaches his toes.

How is jaundice treated?
Most jaundice needs no treatment, but when it does, phototherapy (light therapy) is considered very safe and effective: Placing your baby under blue "bililights" lights — naked in a bassinet, with his eyes covered — will often do the trick because ultraviolet light changes the bilirubin to a form that your baby can more easily dispose of in his urine. Another option involves wrapping your baby in a fiber-optic blanket called a bili-blanket or bili-pad. With a prescription from your doctor, you may be able to rent one of these blankets to treat your baby at home.

Phototherapy is usually effective, but if a baby develops a severe case of jaundice, or his bilirubin levels continue to rise despite phototherapy treatment, he may need to be admitted to the intensive care unit for a blood transfusion called an "exchange transfusion."

Something else you can do on your own to help reduce jaundice is make sure that your baby is getting plenty of breast milk or formula — so he'll have frequent bowel movements. If you have any concerns about jaundice, check with his doctor to make sure you're taking the right steps to get your baby back in the pink.

Answer 5

My nephew had to go under the light and he turned out fine. If you wanted to try and make it dissapear before they resort to the light, try taking him out in the sun. It helps a little. Only do it for like 10 mins at a time. The last thing you'll need is a sunburn. Best of luck.

Answer 6

A lot of babies get jaundice... Put him in the sun for a few minutes every day, and it should help a bit. Also, try to feed him every 2-3 hours... There's also something called a "Biliblanket" that is supposed to help. Here's a link! http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/pa/umphototherapy.htm

Answer 7

no, it won't hurt him - the blue light is to simulate sunlight - that helps to clear up the jaundice. You can try to get him in the sun a little bit each day and that will help to speed up his recovery also - many kids have this when they are little

Answer 8

Jaundice is more common than you think in newborns. Usually putting them in the sun will help. Vitamin D is in sunshine! Isn't that great?

Answer 9

no it will not hurt him at all- a lot of times they will tell you to put them in sunlight- don't know how but it works